This New London Workout Will Tone Your Face (Yes, Your Face)

You wouldn’t think twice about booking a barre or Pilates class to tone your body, but now there’s a new and unexpected step to add to your fitness arsenal that’s sweeping London: a personal trainer for your face. Initially a Selfridges concession, FaceGym has branched out into a new flagship in the heart of the city’s Chelsea neighborhood. This twist on a facial is geared toward more than 40 muscles from the neck up, and the results, say its devotees, are serious.

No stranger to treatments, founder Inge Theron traveled the world reviewing spas for the Financial Times. “Face workouts are the new facials,” she explains, “and we actually affect an amazing change. We don’t just follow the same spa facial ritual of apply-and-remove product, we actually get stuck into muscles to sculpt, tone, and lift through intense facial massage techniques.”

The retro, ’70s-styled studio is complete with gymnastic rings hanging from the ceiling, lockers, and old-school barber chairs. Your facial therapist—or “ face trainer”—will take on all the heavy lifting with a series of sculpting moves that tone and tighten facial muscles while you sit back and relax (possibly making this the best workout, ever).

The options are extensive, but each workout follows a simple formula: A gentle massage warm-up; a cardio portion with brisk, upward flicking motions to detox and drain muscles; sculpting, with more vigorous, kneading strokes that actually get in and lift your cheekbones; and a refreshing mist of frankincense water to cool down. Clients can choose from a range of treatments that might include state-of-the-art laser or radio frequency machines, and custom pick from a selection of facial oils, which you can blend with their in-house mixologist, at the space’s free-standing skin-care bar.

For those in town for London Fashion Week, there is one more obvious choice: The Front Row Face workout focuses on lifting, deep cleansing, and hydration, using ultrasound and a cocktail of vitamins and prebiotics to get rid of “last season’s skin.” If only all workouts were so effortless.